The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn
by LuckyxLabradoodlexLoverx7
Summary: AU: Five years after Mimi dies, Roger finds himself falling in love again. RDxOC. Takes place in 2008-2009. Part one of two. Rated T for language and sexual content. Complete.


Disclaimer - I own nothing of RENT, except for my original characters and storyline. Everything else belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson. 'Nuff said.

_**Italics**_ are thoughts and song lyrics.

A/N: I have no clue how this story came to me. I hope everyone likes it.

Summary: AU: Five years after Mimi dies, Roger finds himself falling in love again. RDxOC. Takes place in 2008-2009. Part one of two. Rated T for language and sexual content.

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: T

* * *

Roger Davis sat in the beat-up armchair next to the couch, strumming on his guitar. He couldn't believe that five years had passed since Mimi was taken from him. She was doing so well - she was clean (thank God) and had been taking her AZT every day, but then the virus caught up to her and she just went downhill. He knew that she was in heaven with Angel and the two of them were watching their remaining friends from up above.

After half an hour, Roger got bored of playing his guitar, so he decided to go for a walk, since it was a nice day. Mark was over at Maureen's place, so Roger had no clue when he would be back. Ever since the two of them had gotten engaged (Joanne and Maureen had broken up, but still remained good friends), Mark was spending more and more time over at Maureen's.

Roger exited the loft and decided to take a taxi to Central Park and walk along one of the paths there. Hailing a cab, he told the driver where he wanted to go and got in the backseat. The driver pulled away from the curb and drove to Central Park.

When they arrived at Central Park, Roger got out of the cab, smiled at the cabbie and handed him a twenty from his back pocket. The cabbie thanked him and drove away. Roger took a deep breath of fresh air and entered the park.

He had no idea how crazy it was - people were walking, running and riding bikes along the paths. Roger moved off the path so that a group of horseback riders could pass him. He waited until the animals were far along to get back to his walking.

"Watch out!" a woman's voice called. Roger barely moved out of the way when a white Frisbee hit him in the head, making him stumble backwards and fall on his back onto the grass. A large yellow dog barked and bounded up to him and started licking his face.

"Lucky! That's enough! Come!" the owner called the dog. Lucky gave Roger one last kiss before trotting over to his owner. Roger stood up and started to hand the Frisbee to the owner when he stopped. The owner was coming towards him. She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four and stood about 5'6. She had waist-length brown hair with blond highlights, which was in a ponytail. She wore a pink tank top and khaki shorts. On her feet were a pair of old sneakers. As she came closer, Roger noticed that she had beautiful brown eyes hidden behind multicolored glasses.

"I'm so sorry about that - he loves people." the girl apologized.

"It's fine." Roger told her, giving Lucky a pat.

"What kind of dog is that?" Roger inquired.

"He's a Labradoodle." the girl answered.

"A Labra-what?" Roger asked, raising an eyebrow. This caused the girl to burst out laughing.

"A Labradoodle - a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Lab - either Black, Chocolate or a Yellow." the girl told him.

"So, what's he made up of?" Roger asked. He was a total dog person and had grown up with dogs throughout his life.

"Lucky's mom is an apricot Standard Poodle and his dad is a Yellow Lab." the girl told Roger, wrestling the Frisbee out of the dog's mouth.

"You must think I'm really stupid for not introducing myself." the girl told Roger, making him laugh.

"Of course not." Roger said.

"My name's Sara." the girl introduced herself.

"Roger." Roger said simply, extending his hand for her to shake. Sara smiled and shook Roger's hand.

"This may sound weird, seeing as we just met, but would you like to go out to lunch sometime?" Sara asked. Roger nodded and wrote down his number for her, as she did the same thing for him.

* * *

A week later, Roger and Sara decided to go to lunch at the Life Café after they played with Lucky in the park.

"Just let me drop him off at my sister's place and then we'll go." Sara told Roger. He nodded and firmly held Lucky's leash while Sara tied her shoe. Today, she was wearing a yellow tank top, jeans with holes in the knees and a yellow visor. Her hair was pulled into a messy braid that cascaded down her back. On her feet, she wore her old beat-up tennis shoes.

"Sounds good." Roger told her, smiling. He found with each passing day, he was starting to like Sara much more than a friend.

Once they were seated in a booth towards the back of the Life Café, the conversation turned to family.

"I have two older sisters - Marie, Kathleen and an older brother Gavin, which makes me the youngest in my family. Marie and Gavin live in Chicago where Marie is a fashion designer and Gavin has his own business repairing bikes. Kathleen, however, works in Times Square as a lawyer." Sara told Roger as a basket of French Fries were placed in front of them. She took a French Fry and dipped it in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.

"What about you?" Sara asked Roger once she was done chewing on her fry.

"I actually have six brothers and sisters - three brothers and three sisters. I'm the youngest of my family, like you. My oldest sister, Regina, is a dog breeder in Arizona - she breeds Beagles. My oldest brother, Richard, is a car dealer in Maine. My second oldest sister, Rita, is on Broadway in the musical _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_. My second oldest brother, Robert, is also on Broadway in the musical _Gone With the Wind_. Roberta, Robert's twin, is a fashion designer in Tokyo. Lastly, my twin, Ronald, is a Catholic Priest in California." Roger told her, smiling when his Miso Soup was placed in front of him. Sara's seaweed salad was placed in front of her two minutes later.

"Excuse me, could I get a refill on my Sprite, please?" Sara asked the waiter. He nodded and put her empty Sprite glass on the tray and walked to the kitchen.

"Wow, you come from a big family. Do you have any nieces or nephews?" Sara asked, taking a bite of her salad. Roger shook his head.

"What about you?" Roger inquired.

"Kathleen and Nicholas - my second oldest sister and my brother-in-law have seven-year-old twins Daniel and Lee. They also have a two-year-old daughter Helena." Sara told him.

"Any others?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and took a moment to drink her Sprite. Roger took a bite of soup and waited for Sara to talk.

"My brother and sister-in-law have a seven-year-old daughter named Jasmine, but she's not theirs. She's mine." Sara told him, feeling tears come to her eyes. Roger reached across the table and took one of Sara's tiny hands in his and rubbed his thumb up and down her knuckle.

"What do you mean she's not theirs?" Roger asked.

"I had Jasmine when I was sixteen with my ex-boyfriend. We were just fooling around and the condom broke. At twenty-four weeks, my mom wanted me to get an abortion, but when I refused, she made me put the baby up for adoption. My sister-in-law was told that she couldn't have any children because she has uterine cancer, so I decided to give my unborn baby to my brother and sister-in-law." Sara started, feeling tears stream down her cheeks.

"Keep going." Roger urged, handing her a napkin. Sara lifted her glasses and dabbed her eyes with the napkin before continuing on.

"Nine months later, I delivered my baby, but I only got to spend two hours with her before she went with my brother and sister-in-law. When Jasmine turned two, my sister-in-law died from uterine cancer, so my brother has been trying to raise Jasmine by himself, with the help of my mom." Sara finished, feeling more tears stream down her face. Roger got up from where he was sitting and sat next to Sara, taking her in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth. Roger silently thanked God that nobody was around to hear them talk about Sara's past.

"It's okay. Shh." Roger soothed, running a hand through her hair.

"After I gave birth to Jasmine, my mom kicked me out of the house, so I moved in with my sister, Kathleen, and her husband. I've been living with them ever since." Sara concluded once she had calmed down.

"I can't imagine what you must be going-" Roger started to say when his AZT beeper went off. He excused himself and went to the bathroom while Sara paid for lunch.

"You didn't have to do that." Roger told her as they exited the Café and headed to the loft.

"I wanted to. You're the only friend I've made since I've been in New York." Sara told him, placing her hand in his, but pulled it away.

"It's okay." Roger told her, taking her hand in his. They walked in silence for a while before Sara spoke up.

"I heard a beeper go off. Did someone call you?" she asked. Roger didn't know what to tell her.

"Um, actually that was my AZT beeper. I have HIV." Roger blurted out. Sara just stared blankly at him.

"How long have you had it?" she asked as they sat down on a park bench.

"For about fifteen years." Roger answered. Sara was silent and Roger feared that he had hurt their friendship.

"Are you on medication?" Sara finally spoke up.

"Yeah - AZT." Roger answered, reaching into his pocket and pulled out the bottle before handing it to Sara. She took it in her hands and studied the capsules inside before handing it back to Roger.

They got up from the bench and continued their walk to the loft. By now, the sun had set and the air was getting colder.

"I better get going - my sister will want to know where I am." Sara told him, starting to head in the direction of her sister's apartment when Roger called to her, making her turn around.

"How about you stay with me tonight. My friends and I were planning on getting together and going to a movie." Roger said. Sara smiled and walked back over to him. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She and Roger slowly walked as Sara talked to her sister.

After awhile of talking, Sara hung up her phone and smiled at Roger.

"I can go." Sara told him. Roger smiled and together, the two of them walked to the loft.

* * *

They arrived at the loft twenty minutes later. When they entered the loft, a two-year-old girl greeted them. Roger picked her up and held her close. The girl had dark skin, curly black hair and big brown eyes. She was wearing a pink shirt with a picture of a dark pink VW bug on it and a diaper.

"Ruthie, this is my friend, Sara. Can you say 'hi'?" Roger asked the toddler. She shied away and buried her face in Roger's shirt. Sara smiled at her and rubbed a finger up and down Ruthie's arm.

"Is she yours?" Sara asked. Roger shook his head and put the toddler down and watched her walk away.

"No, she's my friend, Joanne's daughter." Roger answered. Sara smiled and realized how much Ruthie resembled Jasmine - only both she and her ex were light-skinned.

"Hey Roger." a black woman greeted them. Roger smiled and walked over to her, motioning for Sara to follow him.

"Joanne, this is my friend, Sara. Sara, this is Joanne." Roger introduced the two women. Sara smiled and shook Joanne's hand as Joanne smiled back at her.

"You look really familiar - are you related to Kathleen DeVans?" Joanne asked.

"Yes, actually. She's my second-oldest sister." Sara told her.

"You probably don't remember me, do you?" Joanne asked as she and Sara sat on the couch. Roger had gone to call Mark, Maureen, Collins, Patrick (Collins' partner) and Joanne's partner, Kristi.

"No - I don't." Sara confessed.

"I work with your sister - she brought you to work one day when you were little - like maybe eight or nine." Joanne told her. The memory jogged Sara's memory, bringing a smile to her face.

"Oh yeah! Kathleen talks about you all the time." Sara said, smiling when Roger re-entered the room and sat down next to her.

"Aww. Somebody's in love." Joanne teased. Roger rolled his eyes and put his arm over the back of the couch. Sara smiled and leaned against him. She felt that Roger was more than a friend with each passing day.

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice called into the loft. Roger and Sara had been sitting on the couch - Roger decided to give Sara a guitar lesson while they waited for Roger's friends to come over. It turned out that she wasn't half bad.

"It's open - you know that, Mark." Roger told the person as they entered the loft. Sara craned her neck around and saw three guys and two girls enter the loft. The guys were white, black and Latino. The girls were both white-skinned.

"Aww. Roger didn't tell us that he had a girlfriend." one of the women teased as she sat down on one of the barstools in the kitchen. Sara moved away from Roger. He smiled and told her it was okay - they were his friends.

"Everyone, this is my friend, Sara. Sara, this is Mark, Maureen, Patrick, Tom Collins - he goes by his surname only and Kristi. Sara, this is everyone." Roger introduced his friends, having each one stand up as Roger introduced them.

"It's so nice to meet you." the man called Mark told Sara. She smiled and slouched a little in her seat. She did this whenever she was nervous about meeting new people.

"You, too." Sara mumbled, slouching even more in her seat. Roger shot a sideways glance at her.

"Should we get going?" the man called Collins asked. Roger nodded and went to get an extra coat for Sara, since she didn't bring one. Joanne took a quick minute to call a sitter for Ruthie.

Five minutes later, all of them walked to the Wood Street Cineplex, which was about half a mile from the loft. The eight of them walked in groups of four. Joanne, Kristi, Collins and Patrick walked ahead of Sara, Roger, Maureen and Mark.

"So, Sara, what do you do for a living?" Mark asked.

"I'm still looking for a job - I live with my sister and when both she and my brother-in-law are at work, I watch their daughter, Helena. Their seven-year-old twin boys are enrolled at the nearby elementary school." Sara answered, squeezing Roger's hand. Roger gently squeezed her hand back, letting her know that everything was okay.

They arrived at the Wood Street Cineplex ten minutes later. They were all debating about what movie to see when someone called Sara's name. Turning around, she saw her sister and brother-in-law.

"Kathleen! Nicholas! Over here!" Sara called. Roger saw an attractive woman and a dark-haired man walking over towards them. The woman had dark brown hair, green eyes and stood 5'2. The woman wore a bright green sweater and black pants. On her feet, she wore a pair of black high heels. Nicholas, however, was a towering 5'11, had black hair and baby blue eyes. He wore a black long-sleeved t-shirt with the New York Knicks logo on it and black jeans. On his feet, he wore a pair of tennis shoes.

After introductions were made, the group decided to see different movies. Kathleen and Nicholas were going to see The Other Boleyn Girl, so they got their tickets and waved goodbye to the group. Kathleen had told Sara that they had called a sitter for the kids so that she and Nicholas could spend some "quality time" together.

Roger, Sara, Mark and Maureen ended up going to see Prom Night while Joanne, Collins, Kristi and Patrick ended up seeing Superhero Movie.

"Have you seen this movie before?" Roger asked as he, Sara, Mark and Maureen walked to the theatre. Sara shook her head and linked her arm with Roger's. Roger loved thriller/slasher/horror/scary movies, and he hoped that Sara did, too.

The four of them got seats towards the back of the theatre. They ended up sharing a large popcorn while they each had their own drinks.

As the lights dimmed, Roger wrapped an arm around Sara's shoulders. Sara took a handful of popcorn and popped the kernels into her mouth one at a time. Maureen, who had bought plain M&Ms from the concession stand, poured half the bag into the popcorn tub.

While the movie played, Mark and Maureen decided to make out, so Roger and Sara moved to a different row, taking the popcorn tub with them.

"Don't go in there. Don't go in there. Don't go in there." Sara kept muttering under her breath. There was a scream from the actress on-screen, which made Sara jump. Roger smiled and wrapped an arm around Sara's shoulders, bringing her towards him.

After the movie was over and the house lights came on, Roger looked over at Sara and saw that she was paler than usual and was shaking.

"You okay?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and gathered the popcorn tub, along with her empty soda cup. Mark and Maureen got up from the row behind them and walked down the stairs with Sara and Roger.

"How did you guys like the movie?" Roger asked as they walked to the lobby where they were going to meet Joanne, Kristi, Collins and Patrick, along with Sara's sister and brother-in-law. They had all decided to go to the Life Café for dessert and conversation.

"It was good." Maureen answered quickly. Roger and Sara burst out laughing as they met up with the others.

"How was the movie?" Maureen asked Joanne.

"It was pretty good - I didn't like the bathroom humor or the Steven Hawking stuff, but other than that, it was funny." Joanne answered. She was sitting on one of the benches outside the theatre. Sara excused herself to use the bathroom, Maureen following right behind her.

"Hey, Maureen, could I ask you something?" Sara asked as the two of them entered stalls that were next to each other.

"Sure." Maureen answered.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?" Sara asked.

"I promise." Maureen told her.

"IreallylikeRoger,butidontknowhowtotellhim." Sara told her speedily.

"Whoa - English please."

"Sorry. I said that I really like Roger, but I don't know how to tell him." Sara repeated, only slower.

"Aww. That's so cute!" Maureen squealed.

"What should I do?" Sara inquired.

"Just tell him your feelings." Maureen advised as they exited the stalls and went to wash their hands. Sara and Maureen exited the bathroom and walked to where Mark and Roger were waiting for them.

The four of them exited the Cineplex and caught a cab to the Life Café. They found Joanne, Kristi and Collins seated at a table near the back of the café.

"Where's Patrick?" Sara asked as Collins embraced her.

"He had to get to sleep. He has an early class tomorrow." Collins answered. Patrick was an ecology teacher at NYU and often taught early in the morning.

The seven of them chatted for a bit before Kathleen and Nicholas entered the café and saw them.

"Hey everyone." Kathleen greeted them. Joanne smiled and patted the seat next to her. Kathleen sat down next to Joanne on one side and Mark on the other. Nicholas sat down next to Collins on one side and Sara on the other.

"So, what do you guys do for a living?" Kathleen asked, taking a sip of her water.

"I'm a film editor, Maureen's an actress, Joanne's a lawyer, Roger writes songs, Kristi's an artist, Patrick is the economy teacher at NYU and Collins is a computer programmer at MIT." Mark answered before anyone could speak up.

"What do you do?" Maureen asked, taking a sip of her chocolate shake.

"I'm a lawyer and Nicholas is the boys basketball coach at Arbor High School." Kathleen answered.

The conversation drifted from work to family to kids to their favorite childhood memories. Sara found herself laughing out loud for some of the conversation. Suddenly, her cell phone went off and she went to answer it.

"Sara's really sweet." Mark commented once Sara was out of earshot.

"She's really a great girl." Kathleen told him, avoiding eye contact.

"Kathleen? What's wrong?" Joanne asked.

"There's something all of you should know about her - especially you, Roger. Don't tell her I told you guys this, but when she was sixteen, she had a baby that she-" Kathleen started when Roger cut her off.

"Sara already told me and I can tell them later." Roger told her. Kathleen nodded her head and took another sip of her water.

"Honey, we should get going." Nicholas spoke up. Kathleen nodded and said her goodbyes to people as Nicholas went to get their coats. Sara still hadn't returned from her phone conversation.

"If you want, I can drive Sara over later." Roger told Kathleen and Nicholas. They thanked him and exited the café.

Five minutes after Kathleen and Nicholas left, Sara returned from a quiet corner of the café, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sat down next to Roger and put her arms on the table and put her head on them. She then let out heart-wrenching sobs. Roger took her in his arms and rubbed her back in a circular motion.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Joanne spoke up after awhile.

"My dog, Lucky, got hit by a car and there was nothing that the vet could do to save him, so he had to be put down." Sara explained between hiccoughs. Roger ordered Sara a glass of water.

"Lucky was Sara's Labradoodle." Roger told the others. Everyone said their sympathies and asked if there was anything that they could do for her. Sara shook her head and thanked them.

"Do you want to stay at the loft tonight?" Roger asked once he, Joanne, Kristi and Collins exited the café. Mark and Maureen had left shortly after Kathleen and Nicholas did. Mark had an early meeting and Maureen had rehearsals for her musical revue the next day.

"Sure." Sara told him. The two of them said goodbye to the others and got a cab back to the loft.

* * *

A month later, Sara and Roger were moving all of Sara's stuff to the loft when Sara's phone rang. Rolling her eyes, she answered it. She walked away from Roger and into an empty room.

"Hello?" Sara said into the receiver.

"Sara? It's Oliver." the voice on the other line told her. Oliver was Sara's ex-boyfriend and Jasmine's father.

"What do you want?" Sara growled.

"I called you because I need to tell you something." Oliver told her.

"Make it quick." Sara ordered.

"Why the fuckin hell are you so damn bossy all of a sudden?" Oliver asked, a little alarmed.

"Why the fuck are you calling me out of the god-damned fuckin blue?" Sara inquired, not caring about her language.

"I called you because I have HIV." Oliver answered. Sara felt her stomach drop.

"How? When?" Sara didn't know what to say.

"I got it before we got together from a girl I hooked up with. She got it from her ex-boyfriend. We had unprotected sex and she gave it to me. I may or may not have given it to you." Oliver told her.

"Are you saying this to scare me? I know we used protection, so we should be okay, right?" Sara asked.

"But the condom broke, remember?" Oliver reminded her.

"I know. Shit." Sara muttered, feeling tears in her eyes.

"I'm telling you need to get tested to see if you have it or not." Oliver told her. Sara nodded and hung up, her hands shaking.

"Roger!" Sara called. Roger came running into the room that Sara was in.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Sara told him about her conversation with Oliver and that she may or may not have HIV. Roger listened intently until after Sara was done talking.

"He's right - you should get tested." Roger spoke up after Sara was done talking.

"I'm so scared." Sara confessed. She collapsed on the floor and started bawling. Roger scooped her in his arms and rocked her back and forth, running a hand through her hair and humming a little bit of Musetta's Waltz.

The next day, they decided to go get Sara tested to see if she had HIV. The doctor told her that she tested negative for HIV and told her to have a nice day.

An hour later, Roger and Sara were in Roger's bedroom putting together the bed they had bought the other day.

"What do you want to do today?" Roger asked after a moment's silence. Sara shrugged her shoulders and finished putting the frame of the bed together. Today, she was wearing a plain bright yellow t-shirt and blue jeans ripped at the knees. On her feet were a pair of plain white socks. She had gotten her hair cut so now it came to her shoulders and had also gotten new blond highlights. She wore her hair in a low ponytail at the base of her neck.

"We could go to the park." Roger suggested. Sara shook her head as they put the mattress on the bed. Sara opened the mattress pad and got it out of its packaging while Roger opened the navy blue sheets and blanket they had bought as well.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Roger asked. Sara shrugged her shoulders again and put the sheets on the bed with Roger's help.

After they had gotten the sheets on the bed, Roger walked over to Sara and hugged her, his hands going up and down her back. He put them under her shirt and felt her soft skin beneath his hands. Sara looked up into his kind green eyes.

"Let's go one step at a time." Sara told him. Roger nodded, understanding what she wanted to do. He led her over to the bed and laid her on top of the blankets. He then removed her shirt and placed it on the floor, along with his own shirt. Sara unfastened her bra and put it on the floor as well.

"You're so beautiful." Roger whispered in Sara's ear as he took her hair out of her ponytail and removed her glasses, placing them on the bedside table, along with Sara's hair band. Sara recoiled under his weight as he slowly unzipped her jeans and placed them so that they were low on her hips. He then unzipped his own jeans and reached into the bedside table drawer to put a condom on before going inside Sara. He kissed her on the lips as he put the condom on and went inside her. She returned the kiss as Roger took off both of their jeans and placed them on the floor. Sara got under the covers as Roger climbed in next to her. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her all over. His hands went up and down her tiny waist, drawing her closer to him.

"Roger, I can't do this. I'm sorry." Sara apologized, getting out of bed and put her clothes back on.

"Sar, you okay?" Roger asked, watching her dress.

"Let's see - my ex called and said that he has HIV and he tells me that I should get myself fuckin tested to see if I fuckin have it!" Sara ranted as she put her hair back in its ponytail and put her glasses back on. She stormed out of the room, sat on the couch and began crying. Roger discarded the condom and quickly got dressed.

"Hun, you don't have it - you tested negative. When we do it, I'll be sure we're careful." Roger told her. Sara cried even harder as Roger gathered her in his arms. There was a knock on the door. Roger sighed and went to get it as Sara pulled herself together. Roger slid the door open and let Mark, Maureen, Joanne, Kathleen, Nicholas, Kristi, Collins and Patrick into the loft. They were all going to dinner and a movie - their Sunday night get together.

That night, after everyone had left, Sara and Roger had the loft to themselves. They were in the main bedroom, getting ready for bed.

"I'm so tired." Sara told Roger as she changed into her pajamas. Roger walked over to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Kissing her on the lips, his hands went from rubbing her arms to rubbing her back. Sara returned the kiss as Roger lifted her shirt off her head and placed it on the floor. Sara lifted Roger's shirt off his head and placed it on the floor as Roger unsnapped her bra and put it on the floor.

Roger then led Sara to the bed and laid her on top of the covers. He kissed her all over as he removed her jeans and put them on the floor, along with her underwear and his boxers. He slipped a condom on before going inside her.

"Roger, I'm tired." Sara moaned. He looked down at her and kissed her forehead before getting off of her. Sara put her pink pajamas on and climbed in next to Roger, placing her glasses on her bedside table. She kissed his cheek and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Three months later, it was Mark and Maureen's wedding where Roger served as Best Man. Maureen's Matron of Honor had her baby a week ago, so Sara filled in for her. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the women's dressing room. It was a floor-length strapless light pink gown that looked beautiful on Sara. Her hair was piled on top of her head with tendrils framing her face. On her feet, she wore light pink high heeled shoes, which hurt her feet if she wore them to long.

The other bridesmaids included Joanne, Kristi, Sara and a friend of Maureen's from grade school named Michelle.

"We ready?" Michelle asked. The other three nodded and exited the room. They saw Patrick, Collins, Roger and a friend of Mark's from high school named George. The bridesmaids took the arms of their groomsmen and got in order - Michelle and George; Joanne and Collins; Kristi and Patrick; Sara and Roger, followed by Maureen and her father.

Sara felt tears in her eyes as Maureen and Mark exchanged vows and rings. She looked over at Roger and realized how handsome he looked.

At the reception, the wedding party was seated at the head table while the guests were seated at smaller tables near the dance floor and the head table.

After the speeches were made, the food was eaten and most of the people had left, Sara felt herself growing tired. She rested her head on Roger's arm and closed her eyes.

"Mind if I dance with you?" a voice startled Sara out of her sleepiness. Opening her eyes, she saw Mark standing in front of her.

"Okay, but just one. I'm pretty tired." Sara told him. He nodded and took her hand as she stood up. Maureen was pulling on Roger's arm, and he looked pretty pissed about it, but he finally gave in to her. The four of them headed to the dance floor and went to different spots. Mark put his hands on Sara's hips as she laced her fingers behind his neck.

"You having fun?" Mark asked as they swayed to the music.

"A lot of fun. Thank you for having me in the wedding." Sara told him, drawing him closer to her and rested her head on his shoulder as they slowly danced in a circle. They saw Roger get on the platform that was three feet above the stage and take the mic in his hand.

"You're welcome, Sara." Mark told her, turning his attention to Roger.

"Hello everyone. I'm the Best Man, Roger Davis. I wrote a song for the bride and groom, but you're more than welcome to dance along. It's called So Close and I hope you enjoy it." Roger said into the mic. He nodded for the orchestra to start the introduction. Maureen walked over to Mark and took his hand in hers. Sara walked off the stage and went to sit down when she felt a hand upon her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Collins and smiled.

"May I have this dance?" he asked. Sara nodded and the two of them headed towards the dance floor. They found a spot towards the middle of the dance floor. Collins placed his hands on Sara's waist as she laced her fingers behind Collins' neck. The two of them swayed to the motion of the music.

"_You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive_

_A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you  
So close_

_So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close_

_How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far."_ Roger crooned. He finished the song and there was a burst of applause. He walked off the platform and went to Sara's side. She thanked Collins for the dance and walked to the head table with Roger.

"Hun, I'm getting tired." Sara told him an hour later. Roger nodded and kissed her forehead, getting his jacket and her button down sweater. They said goodbye to everyone and thanked Maureen and Mark for everything. The two of them headed to Roger's car and drove to the loft. Sara fell asleep, her head resting against the window. Roger had a soft rock song playing on the radio, but turned it off when he pulled into his usual parking spot. He opened the passenger door and gathered Sara in his arms. Closing the door, he locked it and carried Sara up the three flights of stairs to the loft.

Once they were inside, Roger put Sara in their room, removed her dress, hung it the closet and put on her pajamas. He then took her hair out of the bobby pins and put them in the bathroom in a plastic bag. Next, he removed her shoes and put them in the closet with her dress. After that, he removed her glasses and placed them on the bedside table.

After all of that as done, he changed into his pajamas and climbed in next to Sara. He watched her as she slept, taking in her beauty. Kissing her on the cheek, he turned off the lamp and fell asleep, taking Sara in his arms.

* * *

The next afternoon, both Sara and Roger were in their room, painting it a light blue when the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Sara announced, running to get it. Roger followed her to the living area and stood in the master bedroom's doorway.

"Hello? Oh, hi Joanne…we're good…as far as I know, she's fine…uh huh…yeah…really…we would love to watch Ruthie…what time are you going to bring her over…Five…yeah…okay…see you then…bye." Sara hung up the phone and walked over to Roger. She laced his fingers behind his neck and kissed him passionately. Roger returned the kiss, his tongue going over Sara's lips. She smiled and walked to the bedroom. Roger followed her inside.

"What time is Joanne dropping Ruthie off?" he asked as he untied Sara's bandana from her head. Today, Sara was wearing a flowered bandana, a plain blue t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. On her feet, she wore a pair of flip-flops. Roger, however, was shirtless and wore jeans with huge holes in the knees.

"Five." Sara answered, running her hands up and down Roger's chest. Roger lifted her shirt over her head as Sara fiddled with the waistband of Roger's jeans. He led her to the bed, kissing her all over as he unsnapped her bra and unbraided her hair.

Laying her on the bed, he unzipped her jeans and discarded them. Sara unzipped Roger's jeans and removed them, placing them on the floor. Roger's hand went between Sara's legs as Sara fiddled with the waistband of Roger's boxers. He nodded and she removed them as Roger removed her underwear. He then climbed on top of her, kissing her all over. Sara returned the kisses as Roger had her sit up so that he could adjust his position. Sara saw him slip on a condom before going inside her.

"Don't stop." Sara moaned as Roger kissed her right breast, bringing the nipple to his mouth and gently squeezed it. He gently wrapped his tongue around it and gently bit down. Sara was totally aroused. She removed the condom from Roger and looked at how it fit in her hands. Gently squeezing it, she ran a finger up and down it.

"I won't." Roger whispered in her ear, gently nibbling on it. Sara smiled and traced the tattoo on his left forearm. He brought her left breast to her mouth and nearly choked on her nipple ring.

"Sorry. Let me remove that." Sara told him, unfastening her nipple ring and placed it on the bedside table. A little bit of blood trickled down Sara's breast, making her wince. She grabbed a Kleenex and dabbed the blood away. Once she was done, Roger brought her left nipple to his mouth and gently suckled it. Sara moaned in pleasure as Roger continued to kiss and caress her.

Sara's heart was pounding as Roger went further inside her. She grabbed the bars of the bed to keep from screaming. Roger kissed her throat, neck, each of her breasts, her stomach and worked his way down. They had been making love for three hours straight, Sara enjoying every minute of it.

"YES! OH MY FUCKIN GOD YES!" Sara shouted. Roger went even further inside her and kissed her with more passion than ever.

Two hours later, they stopped and changed into clean clothes - Sara in a plain bright green t-shirt and nice jeans. She went to brush her hair and teeth while Roger changed into a black t-shirt and black jeans.

She walked out to the living area and saw Ruthie on the floor while Roger and Joanne were sitting on the couch. She greeted Roger with a kiss on the cheek as she sat down next to him. Joanne smiled and hugged Sara as she hugged Ruthie and Joanne at the same time.

"Is there anything we should know about her?" Sara asked, watching Ruthie and Roger as Roger held Ruthie on his lap. She smiled at him and grabbed some of his hair, making him wince.

"Ruthie, honey, could you please let go of my hair?" Roger asked. Ruthie babbled happily and pulled even harder. Sara bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Ruthie Elizabeth! Let go now or no Strawberry Shortcake video." Joanne warned. Ruthie let go of Roger's hair and Sara saw her bottom lip tremble.

"Oh, to answer your question, Sara - she loves Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, the Disney Princess series and The Wiggles. She's allergic to peanuts and peanut products, so she shouldn't have any of those. She has crackers and cheese in her diaper bag, so just give her one slice of each if she gets hungry. She loves to cuddle and also loves to be read to." Joanne told her. Sara nodded and took Ruthie from Roger. She balanced her in her arms as the two of them walked around the loft. Joanne wrote down emergency numbers for them before she left, telling Ruthie to be good and thanked Roger and Sara for watching Ruthie again.

Around eleven o'clock, Joanne came back for Ruthie. Both Sara and Ruthie had fallen asleep while they watched a Care Bears movie. Joanne smiled and handed Roger a twenty as Roger packed up Ruthie's diaper bag and handed it to Joanne. A stuffed dog had fallen out of the diaper bag, but neither Joanne nor Roger noticed.

Roger carried Sara to their bedroom and placed her under the covers. He was just about to undress her when there was a knock on the door. Roger rolled his eyes and went to answer the door. Standing there was Joanne and a screaming Ruthie.

"Ruthie forgot Sunshine. You haven't seen him, have you?" Joanne shouted over Ruthie's screaming.

"What sort of animal is it?" Roger asked as Joanne put in Ruthie's pacifier.

"It's - it's a dog. A yellow dog." Joanne answered, rubbing Ruthie's back. Roger found the dog - or Sunshine - and handed him to Joanne. She placed him in the diaper bag and thanked Roger again. He told her no problem and closed the door behind her. He then headed back to the master bedroom and gathered Sara in his arms. He removed her clothes and put on her pajamas - a large black Queen shirt and gray sweatpants. Once she was in her pajamas, Roger removed her glasses and put them on the bedside table. He stripped out of his clothes - except his boxers - and climbed in next to Sara. Kissing her forehead, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of their life together.

* * *

After a year of living together, Roger and Sara were rehearsing her theatre scene. Sara was taking an acting class at the community college, so she and Roger were going over her lines.

"Okay, you start, since you're my partner." Sara told him. Sara and her partner had decided to do a scene where they were a mother and daughter who were putting their beloved dog to sleep. Sara found one of her stuffed dogs - a large chocolate one named Mocha - and placed her on the table in front of them. Roger nodded and looked at the script in front of him.

"Well, now that the vet is gone, may I talk to you?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and ran her fingers through Roger's hair. She had memorized her lines, but she made two copies of the script, just in case. She placed her script in her back pocket while Roger held his in his hand. He had never acted before and was getting a lot of coaching from Sara.

"So, you're going to make this decision at last." Sara said. Roger shrugged his shoulders and stroked Mocha. Sara stopped running her fingers through his hair.

"Seems like it." Roger answered simply.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Sara inquired.

"Unless you've got some other idea." Roger answered defensively.

"I've run out of ideas. Why? Did you have any other ideas?" Sara asked, placing a hand on Roger's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"If I had, I suppose I wouldn't be doing this, would I?" Roger asked, again defensive.

"I suppose not. Anyway, I've tried everything." Sara told him. Roger slammed his hand down on the table, making Sara jump.

"You've tried everything?" Roger asked angrily.

"We both tried everything." Sara answered, soothingly. "I suppose there's no point in hanging on." she sat on the table, stroking Mocha. "No point in trying again. No point in going over the same old ground again and again and again." Pause. "Best to give up, I suppose. Cut one's losses. Go, try it with another." Sara told him, getting off the table.

"There isn't another!" Roger told her, a hurt tone in his voice.

"You'll find another." Sara told him, her voice back to soothing. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So will you." Roger said with a little bit of an attitude in his voice.

"It's okay. Not to worry about me." Sara said sarcastically. Roger looked down at Mocha and took one of her paws in his hands.

"We did agree it would be best." Roger sighed. Sara nodded and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know we agreed. I'm saying let her go." Pause. "Only." Sara told him. Roger shrugged her hand off of his shoulder.

"Only what?" he asked.

"It's your decision." Sara told him.

"My decision?" Roger asked, his voice rising.

"Just so long as you realize it's your decision." Sara told him, her voice gentle again.

"We both agreed…" Roger said, his voice quiet.

"We both agreed, but it's your decision. It's still you're decision. You're the one who's doing this." Sara told him, placing a 'syringe' in his hand, which was actually a pen. Roger played with the pen for a while.

"One of us has to make this choice." Roger finally spoke up, handing the pen back to Sara. She shook her head and handed it back to Roger.

"And you're the one." Pause. "You've made the decision to let her go. I haven't." Pause. "I can't make decisions for you. Just so long as you realize." Sara told him, as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Do you want me to let her go or not?" Roger asked.

"I want you to make your own decision and do your own thing. I'm not going to hold you back." Pause. "If you want to let her go, I'm not stopping you." Pause. "I also don't want to be" Sara paused, searching for the right words "held responsible - if you do." She told him. Roger let out a frustrated sigh. Sara continued running her fingers through his hair.

"Do you want me to let her go or not?" Roger repeated, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I want you to do as you think fit." Sara told him. She stopped running her fingers through his hair.

"But mom, do you want me to let her go?" Roger asked, putting his hands on her shoulders. Sara shook her head.

"No. Do you want to let her go?" Sara inquired, blinking the tears out of her eyes. She remembered being in this situation through most of her life - mostly, it had been with cats and dogs. But there was one situation that stood out in Sara's mind - it was when she, her mother and her riding instructor had decided to put Sara's Quarter Horse gelding, Prince Caspian, to sleep. He was blind in one eye and going blind in the other. Sara had named him after her favorite Chronicles of Narnia book - Prince Caspian. Caspian had been a yearling when Sara had bought him and had just turned thirty-seven when she made the decision to put him down.

"No." Roger answered, pausing. "Oh, what else is there to say?"

"We'll find-" Sara couldn't finish her line. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. Roger put the script down and had Sara sit on the couch. He then took her in his arms and gently rocked her back and forth.

"It's okay. Shh. Shh." Roger soothed, hugging Sara close to him. Sara hugged him and continued to cry.

There was a knock on the door an hour later. Sara had gone to take a shower and Roger was working on a song. Putting his guitar down, he went to answer it. Sliding the door open, he smiled when he saw Collins and Patrick waiting on the other side. Collins was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a plain long-sleeved white t-shirt with a black vest over it. On his head, he wore his beanie and on his feet, he wore a pair of worn boots. Patrick was wearing a pair of black jeans, a plain dark blue long sleeved-shirt and on his feet, he wore a pair of tennis shoes.

"Hey guys. Come in." Roger told his friends, hugging each one.

"Where's Sara?" Collins asked. He and Sara had formed a special bond ever since he met her all those months ago.

"She's taking a shower, but she should be out soon." Roger told him. Collins and Patrick went to sit on the couch while Roger went to check on Sara.

"Hun, Collins and Patrick are here." Roger yelled through the door. Sara's muffled reply came from the other side, making Roger laugh.

"What'd she say?" Patrick asked.

"She said she'll be out in a minute." Roger answered. He heard the bathroom door open and turned around. Sara exited the bathroom with a white fluffy towel wrapped around her head. She wore a yellow and white striped sweater and a nice pair of jeans. On her feet, she wore a pair of socks with gray kittens on them.

"Hey guys." Sara greeted her friends as she sat down next to Roger. The four of them were planning their evening. Collins and Patrick both had early classes to teach in the morning, so they couldn't stay out long. They decided to stay at the loft and watch a movie, but the only one the four of them could agree on was 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.'

As they watched the movie, Sara found herself singing to 'Not While I'm Around' 'Green Finch and Linnet Bird' 'The Worst Pies in London' 'The Contest' 'God That's Good' 'Pirelli's Miracle Elixir' 'My Friends' 'Poor Thing' 'The Barber and His Wife' and 'Wait'.

After Collins and Patrick left, Sara and Roger were sitting on the couch when Roger started humming. Sara recognized what he was humming and started singing. Roger strummed his guitar as Sara watched him.

"_Nothing's gonna harm you  
Not while I'm around  
Nothing's gonna harm you  
No sir, not while I'm around  
Demons are prowling everywhere  
Nowadays  
I'll send 'em howling I don't care  
I got ways._" Sara sang beautifully. Roger was stunned when he heard her.

"_No one's gonna hurt you  
No one's gonna dare  
Others can desert you  
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there._" Roger crooned. Sara smiled and leaned against him.

"_Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while  
But in time, nothing can harm you  
Not while I'm around._" the two of them harmonized.

Roger had put his guitar away just as Sara had fallen asleep on the couch. Gathering her in his arms, he carried her to the master bedroom and didn't bother to put her pajamas on her. He unwrapped the towel from her hair and put it in the laundry bin next to the door of the master bedroom. Placing her glasses on the bedside table, he put her under the covers fully clothed. He removed his clothes except for his boxers. He held her in his arms as he quietly sang to her.

"_Being close and being clever, ain't like being true  
I don't need to - I would never hide a thing from you  
Like some_

_No one's gonna hurt you  
No one's gonna dare  
Others can desert you  
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there_

_Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while  
But in time, nothin' can harm you  
Not while I'm around._" Roger crooned in Sara's ear. He kissed her forehead before falling asleep.

Sara woke up the next morning with the sun in her face. Blinking, she sat up, stretched and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked over at Roger's side of the bed and smiled when she saw that he was still sleeping. Carefully getting out of bed, she walked to the closet and got some clean clothes out before headed to the bathroom to take a shower, grabbing her glasses on the way out.

Fifteen minutes later, Sara was done with her shower and was blow-drying her hair when there was a knock on the door. Turning off the blow dryer, she walked to the door and slid it open. Standing before her was Mark, Maureen, Kristi, Collins, Patrick and Nicholas. She smiled and had them all come into the loft, each one hugging her as they went by.

"Hey everyone. Let me wake Roger up and then we can go." Sara told them, heading into the bedroom to wake Roger up. The eight of them were going to breakfast and then they were going to hang out the rest of the day. Joanne and Kathleen had to work, so they wouldn't be joining the rest of their friends.

Twenty minutes later, they were ready to go. Sara smiled when Roger took his hand in hers. He gently squeezed it and drew Sara close to him. They both knew that they had found their soul mate and would never part from each other.


End file.
